Red the First by C. D. Verhoff Page B

cards. It was
light gray and appeared to be made of quartz. No lights, no
buttons, no writing adorned its surface. “A gift of technology from
one of the friendlies.”
    “ It looks like a rock,”
Father Bob said.
    “ What does it do?” Elizabeth
asked.
    “ It’s set to cloak all human
activity—movement, warmth, smoke, noise, vibration, automotive
exhaust, electromagnetic transmissions—from Celerun
instrumentation. They won’t know Hewego is here until they see her
with their naked pink eyes, which will buy you extra time. Mayor.”
The general offered it to Red.
    He closed his fingers around it.
“What’s the radius of this thing’s effect?”
    “ Twenty
kilometers.”
    “ Is it working
now?”
    “ Always.”
    The general got up to shake their
hands. “May our descendants meet in peace and prosperity in the not
so distant future.” He handed Elizabeth the manila envelope and
leaned in closer to her ear. “Your son will be a great
man.”
    As he was about to walk through the
doors, and out of Hewego forever, he turned to give a stoic salute.
Red returned the gesture and the general gave a toothy grin. As the
general departed, Father Bob went after him.
    Red growled, “The damn fools on the
council won’t listen.”
    “ They’re not fools, they’re
good people, and you know it. If you hadn’t seen a Celerun for
yourself, you’d act just as deplorable.”
    “ So you believe me now—about
the alien at Schlotz’s?”
    “ The things I saw in the
general’s head.” She shuddered, closing her eyes to try to block
them out. “I can’t shake them. Now I know the memories in your head
aren’t from a dream. They’re very real and I’m sorry for ever
doubting you.”
    He gently brushed a strand of hair from
her eyes, and brought his lips to hers. The way he kissed her, like
she was the most precious thing in all creation, sent waves of
warmth through her body.
    She tried not to see his thoughts, but
in his mind they were already upstairs in bed making love. The way
he wanted her, needed her, made her want to satisfy his every wish.
An image of his first wife crossed his thoughts, but she had grown
to accept that Kay, the first Mrs. Wakeland, would always be a part
of him, lingering at the fringes of his mind. Nonetheless, she was
a little jealous, and wanted his kiss to go on forever.
    “ Even if no one else will
come with us,” Red said. “We’ll get Michael, go to the bunker, and
turn the key ourselves.”
    “ We can’t turn the key on
them,” Elizabeth said, waving her arm to indicate all of Hewego.
“When they come to understand that the aliens are real, they’ll be
fighting to get into the bunker.” She took the key from Red and
shook it under his nose for emphasis. “They haven’t had the benefit
of seeing a Celerun first-hand. For that reason alone, it’s your
duty to prepare them for what’s coming. Not to mention the fact
that you’re the mayor of Hewego, which makes you doubly
responsible.”
    “ You’re right,” he sighed.
“Like always.”
    “ I’ll help in whatever way I
can,” Elizabeth promised. “Just tell me what to do.”
    “ First, let’s go home and
sleep on it.”
     
     
     
     
    Chapter 13
     
    By sleep, much to Elizabeth’s delight,
Red meant fool around. There was no past or future when they made
love—just the moment—blissful and glorious. Afterward, Red paced
around the room looking for his clothes. He’d been in good physical
shape as long as she had known him, but nothing could compare to
the way he looked now. All that muscle and sinew earned from
working the land, rather than the vanity of a gym, added to his sex
appeal. She pulled the sheets up to her neck to watch him string
the general’s key onto a chain.
    “ This is for you.” He gently
pulled the chain down over her head. “I feel better knowing that no
matter what happens to me, you will still have a fighting chance.”
He kissed the top of her head and slid in next to her on the